LOON WAGGLE: Emily Poulin, of China, captured this loon foot waggle last fall.
JAYS ARE BACK: Michael Bilinsky, of China Village, photographed this bluejay at his feeders recently.
FIRST ORIOLE: Betty Dunton, of Gardiner, snapped the first Baltimore Oriole she has seen this spring.
SCORES & OUTDOORSCamp is open! Last Friday and Saturday my wife and I worked diligently to get things squared away at camp. Open the shelter, put away necessities for the summer, arrange outdoor furniture, check out the grill, etc. It was a busy two days, and Saturday night we finally sat down around the first campfire of the year.
Before I proceed, let me set the scene.
Next to our camp is a rather large gully that drains spring runoff from the top of the hill down to the lake. Just before you get to the pond, there is a large swampy area.
OK, got it? So there we are sitting around the campfire. At sunset came the sounds for which we have been waiting. The peepers. The unmistakable sound of spring. If you live east of the Mississippi River, you have definitely heard the sound of hundreds of chirping frogs.
A spring peeper, left, and one with its vocal sac inflated. Internet photos
While spring peepers are the most famous of all the frogs, they’re not the only species native to North America. Spring peepers, Pseudacris crucifer, exist in the eastern half of North America from Florida to Canada. You can distinguish the spring peepers, also known as chorus frogs, because their noise sounds very much like jingling bells when there are a lot of them around.
If you have ever seen a spring peeper, you have probably noticed a peculiar bubble that forms around the frog’s mouth. The bubble is actually the frog’s vocal sac. To make their calls, peepers close their nostrils and mouths and squeeze their lungs to inflate the sac. The peeping sound happens as air leaves the lungs, passes over the vocal chords and into the vocal sac.
The sounds they produce are mating calls emanating from the males, which are made from the edges of the bodies of water in which they breed. Even when calling, peepers may be difficult to locate. They typically breed from March to June when the warm rains start. The female will lay around 900 eggs, but up to 1,000 are possible. Egg clusters are hidden under vegetation, and they transform into frogs about eight weeks following the hatching.
Their environment includes marshy areas, especially wooded wetlands and swampy areas near forested areas because they like to hibernate under tree bark or fallen logs. Thus, the perfect habitat is what I described earlier.
They are an extremely small frogs, reaching a maximum size of about 1-1/2 inches and weigh about 0.18 ounces. Because of their diminutive size, they feed on small bugs like ants, small beetles, flies and spiders. They have large toe pads for climbing, although they generally spend their time amid loose debris.
Spring peepers are nocturnal and do most of their hunting at night.
Peepers, are among the first frogs in the region to call in the spring, and will make their first appearance shortly after ice goes out on the wetlands.
How to identify a peeper? That’s easy. They are tan or brown in color with a dark X-shaped marking across their back. Now, go out and try to find one.
The spring peeper has no special endangered status in most areas. They are common and widespread over the region. However, their habitats are quickly changing due to loss of wetlands. In some areas, their populations have decreased significantly. Where have we heard that before?
If you get the chance, spend an evening outside listening to the sounds of spring, and among them you will hear the chirps of these amazing little frogs.
by Marilyn Rogers-Bull & PercyGood morning, dear friends. Don’t worry, be happy!
Yip-e-e-e! I am so happy, as of last Thursday, I now have a driver’s license again! I had been without one since my birthday, and it was a terrible feeling not to be able to drive legally for two weeks, and I surely didn’t want to see my name in the police log!
Was thrilled to receive the Solon School News and let all you interested readers know that an assembly was held at the Solon School on April 26 announcing the Coolidge Library Bookmark Contest winners. They are Elizabeth Berube, Preschool; Maxxwell Caplin, Grade K; Lane Frost, Grade 1; Emerson Golden, Grade 2; William Rogers, Grade 3; Ciara Myers- Sleeper; Grade 4; and Sascha Evans, Grade 5.
The contest was a joint project of Solon Elementary School and the Coolidge Public Library, in Solon. Each student in grades PreK-5 created a bookmark promoting reading. The contest was judged by Coolidge librarian Megan Myers and RSU #74 art teacher Richard Reichenbach.
At the assembly, each winner received a book from Ms. Myers and library trustee Rich Roberts. The Solon selectwomen Elaine Aloes and Sarah Davis also attended the assembly.
The winning bookmarks were duplicated and will be handed out to patrons at the town library. Congratulations to the winners!
The third quarter honor roll at Solon Elementary is as follows: All A’s: Emily Baker, Jayden Cates, Cooper Dellarma, Gavyn Easler, Sascha Evans, William Lawrence, Summer Lindblom, Aiden McLaughlin, Macie Plourde, Desmond Robinson, William Rogers, Aaron Soosman, Hailey Wyman and Dystany Young. All A’s& B’s: Karen Baker, Delena Cabral, Tehya Caplin, Sarah Craig, Alex Enos, Reid Golden, Riley Graham, Courtney Grunder, Nevaeh Holmes, Elisha Ireland, Cody James, Ella McKinnon, Abby Parent, Paige Reichert, Alyssa Schinzel, Brooks Sousa, Fisher Tewksbury, Lucas Vicneire and Ciarrah Whiiemore.
Winners of the Sea Dogs Most Improved Student Awards were Veronica Hoffman, Riley Graham,Cooper Dellarma, Abby Parent, Brooks Sousa, Hunter Pouliot, Paul Craig and Abby Leeman.
Kindergarten students at Solon Elementary School enjoyed the Dinosaurs Unearthed exhibit at the Portland Science Center on April 13.
Solon Elementary School celebrated Dr. Seuss’s birthday with lots of special activities back in March. These included daily guest readers, dress-up days, crafts and games, and even a Dr. Seuss-themed lunch. We thank Mrs. Jen LaChance for organizing the week’s events.
The North Anson Congregational Church will be having an indoor yard and bake sale at the church on Saturday, June 3, from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Missionary Charles Sagay, from Cameroon, Africa, will be at the North Anson Congregational Church to share the gospel and more about what is happening at the Mission School of Hope. Charles arrived on May 15, and will be staying with Pastor Dave and Mary. Please consider yourself invited to come and get to know this wonderful man and become a part of the Mission School of Hope.
There will be a $1 and $2 clothing bag sale at the Embden Community Center Thrift Shop on May 19 and 20.
Don’t forget the special Solon Town Meeting on Monday, May 22, at the Solon Elementary School at 7 p.m. This will be to vote on the four items I wrote about recently. I was unable to attend the budget committee meeting on May 8 because that night was our last meeting of this session of my adult painting club at Skowhegan, and we always have a party. The only thing I heard about the budget meeting from one of the members, was that there was quite a bit of discussion about article 2, the sidewalks on Pleasant and School streets.
And now for Percy’s memoir which has to do with Love which he had a lot of: Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well. (Unknown)
Until next week….
I bought a book (yup another crazy book!) of 501 Amazing Uses for Salt, Vinegar, Baking Soda, Olive Oil & Lemons and wanted to share some of it with you.
SALT: Almost every food is improved with the addition of salt. Salt is also used to preserve food. Salt has also been used successfully as a cleaner; its slight abrasiveness without scratching makes it perfect for some cleaning. It also has a use as an antiseptic.
One of the uses I had not seen before is to prevent frost from developing on inside of windows. Wipe windows inside and out with one part salt to eight parts water applied with lint-free cloth.
Keep line-dried clothing from freezing. Add a small amount of salt to the final rinse cycle.
Lay out an ant barrier. Spread a 1/8-inch thick line of salt along window ledges and doorways where ants commonly enter.
VINEGAR: It has numerous uses as a preservative, a condiment, a healing agent and a cleanser.
A teaspoon of white vinegar might fix a recipe that you added too much salt to.
Reduce gassy effect from beans by adding one tablespoon white vinegar to water while cooking.
Degrease the stovetop. Equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle and spray stovetop and wipe clean.
Remove stickers with full strength white vinegar to the sticker with a paint brush or cotton ball, let stand 60 minutes. Scrape off.
There are many more uses for these products, but I don’t have room to put them all here. I got my book through Amazon.
OLIVE OIL: Where in the world is Asia Minor, I don’t remember that from our geography class! But it’s one place where olives are grown. It can be used in foods, personal care, natural remedies, home maintenance and cleaning.
Store olive oil in a cool, dark place to last longer. Make sure to keep it in a container that won’t let light in. Both light and heat will cause it to deteriorate.
There are all kinds of food uses but one use I liked was to add a teaspoon to a pot of water to prevent it from boiling over! (I also know that a wooden spoon across top of pan somehow stops the water from boiling over.
BAKING SODA: Of course “baking” soda is used a great deal for cooking although it has many other uses. Useful in labs, medicine cabinets, an effective antacid, soothes irritated skin and insect bites. Around the house it can be a cleaning agent, deodorizer, stain lifter and a polishing agent. It can be used for brushing teeth, baths and even an aftershave (?).
The book didn’t list many hints other than in their description. But most of what I am aware of is using baking soda in a paste form.
LEMONS: uses in the kitchen for cooking and for cleaning. They have an antiseptic and preservative, deodorizer, bleach and disinfectant and the list goes on and on!!
Hate to do this but I have run out of space. Next week I will add to this. I hope that is OK with you.
I’m just curious if you like this stuff like I do! Contact me at dwdaffy@yahoo.com sub: Lemons next. Thank you for reading!
REVIEW POTPOURRI
Jean-Baptiste Loeillet
Sonatas; Trio Sonatas; and Lesson for the Harpsichord
Pierre Pouleau, recorder; Andre Chevalet, oboe; and Yvonne Schmit, harpsichord. Music Guild MS-113, 12-inch stereo vinyl LP, released 1965.
One of a select group of baroque composers who wrote truly beautiful music for both the flute and recorder, Jean-Baptiste Loeillet (1680-1730) was born in Belgium, became a very talented player on the flute and harpsichord during early childhood, and traveled to England at 25 years old where he settled for life. He composed mainly for the flute, taught and arranged concerts for the wealthy, through which he became financially quite comfortable.
The performances are superb, and, fortunately for those with a record player, the album is still available through several Amazon vendors for prices starting at six dollars.
starring Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Cameron Mitchell, etc.; directed by Henry King; 20th Century Fox, released June, 1956.
Gordon MacRae
The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel began as a hugely successful Broadway musical in 1945, but its transformation into a film shot in exquisite living color, and with better singers, superior orchestration by Alfred Newman and, for most of the film, the backdrop of our own Boothbay Harbor, turned it into a true cinematic classic – worthy of the several best film lists it has made. It and the 1945 State Farm are my two favorite R & H films.
Shirley Jones
The manner in which the movie segues at the beginning from a mundane conversation in heaven to the glorious Carousel Waltz is a case in point. Three of the greatest songs in Broadway musical history – If I Loved You, When the Children Are Asleep, and You’ll Never Walk Alone – are given the best performances they have ever received in the most pleasing seaside settings. The choreography along the marina and, later, on a lonely beach are dazzling set pieces of limber, supple virtuosity. And watching Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones and Barbara Ruark singing in their prime is a singular pleasure!
Gennady Rozhdestvensky conducting the USSR Radio Symphony Orchestra; Eurodisc 201 984-250, 12-inch stereo LP, recorded 1967.
The conductor, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, is, at 85, one of the more accomplished and interesting conductors to have emerged since the early ‘60s. First, he is accomplished because he was barely 22 years old when he was scoring successes in his appearances with various major Russian orchestras and both the Bolshoi Opera and Ballet through live appearances and recordings. He also has upwards of 1,500 musical works of a wide range of composers committed to memory. Finally, all of the recordings I have heard of his are consistently good, unlike several of the shining stars of the firmament of today. And I own at least a shelf of them.
Gennady Rozhdestvensky
Secondly, he is interesting because of the manner in which he conducts. I once saw him live in Boston’s Symphony Hall back in ’73 when he was on tour with the Leningrad Philharmonic (now, since the fall of the former Soviet Union, referred to as the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic.). That evening, he used very precise but conventional gestures.
However, I have seen footage of him not conducting the orchestra at all while it is playing but walking around the stage smiling a lot, yet barely moving his arms. Other times, he has been known to flail his arms without the baton or grabbing it with both hands effortfully, as though it weighed 50 pounds. Still, he gets quality work while being the ham!
The Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique is one of my favorite works to collect in duplicate recordings and, it being a special favorite, I own at least 40. Rozhdestvensky’s LP is good but not great. My absolute favorite is the 1975 recording of Herbert von Karajan with the Berlin Philharmonic has been available through Amazon and its vendors as a CD for years and, more often than not, inexpensive. The third movement, Scene in the Fields, has rarely sounded more serene or sublime while the fifth movement’s Dream of a Witch’s Sabbath is most colorful and ominous.
PAGES IN TIMEFrankenstein, The Wolfman and Dracula were the trio of terror who lurched from the silver screen to scare me out of my gourd during the early days of horror films. They survive to this day in sequels and parodies, but they’re not nearly as frightening as they were in their original form.
How well I remember, crouched in a darkened theater, peering through my fingers with my hands over my eyes as the music swelled to indicate something really bad was about to occur. My most horrific nightmares and trepidations of terror were brought to the surface by the monsters on the screen as I continually reminded myself: “It’s only a movie.”
If I had to pick a favorite spook, I guess it would be Frankenstein, adapted from Mary Shelley’s novel and originally starring Boris Karloff. In spite of his square head, borrowed body parts and electrodes sticking out of his neck, he was kind of pitiful as he walked stiff-legged through the film, not quite understanding what the heck was going on. What fun Hollywood had with their countless repeats of the Frankenstein theme. When Abbott & Costello met Frankenstein in the movie of the same name, Costello looked down on the prostrate monster and scared poor Frankenstein half to death. Herman Munster, of course, was the epitome of modern day Frankenstein parodies.
The werewolf flicks will never die. They go on endlessly from the original 1935 “Werewolf of London” in which a scientist brings the wolf curse upon himself. Next was the 1941 version of the Wolfman with Lon Chaney Jr, whose remarkable make-up transition from man to wolf captivated me every time. The type-cast Chaney then appeared in a bunch of B-grade sequels, including “Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman.”
The full of the moon brought the Wolfman into full bloom with his evil eyes, two big fangs and hairy face and body. Only a silver bullet could take him out. The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, was the latest to do a take-off on the werewolf legend in his top-selling “Thriller” album.
The well-dressed but blood-sucking Dracula may have been the most successful of all the horror films. The vampire has been portrayed nearly 200 times in horror films since the first one was released in 1931, starring Bela Lugosi. No silver bullet for him! You could hold him at bay for a spell by holding a cross to his face, but it took a stake through the heart to really do him in. Daylight was also tough on his skin, so he hunkered down in his casket and waited for night fall to take a bite out of life.
I love the story about Bela Lugosi’s actual funeral. It seems that his real-life friend, Boris Karloff, was standing and peering into the casket. Lugosi was looking ghastly white and very dead, not unlike the way he looked when he was made up for the movies.
Karloff was heard to say” “Bela, you wouldn’t put me on, would you?” Some of the humor born of horror films is equally entertaining. I remember George Hamilton, in a Dracula tale-off movie, being asked: “How do you like your stake?”
Lon Chaney Sr. was undoubtedly the best of the beasts. Known as the man of a thousand faces, his most famous role was perhaps “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”. Quasimodo, the poor deformed bell ringer, was enthralled by a lovely maiden, but he was hopelessly unattractive. I remember the scene when he clamored to the top of the cathedral and said sadly to the cement decorative cornice: “Oh, Gargoyle! Why am I not made of stone!” James Cagney had the leading role in the film depicting Chaney’s life and turned in a memorable performance.
Chaney delivered big time with his portrayal of “The Phantom of the Opera” in which he gets unmasked to reveal a hideous face. Several versions of the movie followed Chaney in the years ahead, one with Claude Raines. “The Phantom” was also a smash on Broadway.
Then, there were the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde films with leading actors like John Barrymore, Frederic March and Spencer Tracy. The kind doctor was transformed into the evil Hyde by drinking some concoction he had devised. Miriam Hopkins and Ingrid Bergman each took a shot at co-starring as the wicked, slutty prostitute. More recently, Julia Roberts gave the role a little different spin with her portrayal of Dr. Jekyll’s innocent maid.
Creaking doors, sudden sounds, fog-shrouded moors and the ever-present scary music all combined to keep my hair standing on end in movies like “The Mummy’s Ghost”, “The Invisible Man”, and “The Hound of the Baskervilles” with Sherlock Holmes. I particularly enjoyed being terrified by “The Beast With Five Fingers” in which a separated hand walks around throughout the flick. In the final close-up scene, the hand appears to be crawling up the shirt front of the narrator. When he sees the hand approaching his throat, his eyes bulge and he grabs at the hand only to find it is merely one of his own.
All the morbid tales of the living dead, the mad scientists and the half-man–half-animal creatures were cinematically designed to slip into the minds of theater-goers like me and keep us on the edge of our seats. Every kind of slimy, over-sized, reptilian monster is being brought to the screen today in movies like “Jurassic Park”. Then we have the movie, “Jaws”, which featured a great white shark approaching unsuspecting victims as the beat of a drum grows faster and louder to herald the monster’s arrival. As a grown-up adult, I handled that scene very well. I simply lifted my feet off the movie house floor and placed them under me on top of my seat.
Ah yes, all these classic monster movies from years gone by and all the scary films of today with their horrifying special effects are designed to raise our blood pressure and send chills down our collective backs. All those vampires, zombies, ghosts, and other grotesque and supernatural fiends play on our fears of the unknown and eventual death. Hey! Get over it. It’s only a movie!
Milt Huntington is the author “A Lifetime of Laughter” and “Things That MakeYou Grin.”
ERIC’S TECH TALKSo, there’s this thing called Netflix. It used to be you rented DVDs from them. They came in these little red envelopes. Now it’s out with the DVDs and in with the streaming video.
One of the new ways kids have found to stay inside during beautiful summer days in Maine, is with a new activity called “binge-watching.” Essentially, binge-watching is the practice of watching multiple episodes of a single TV show in one sitting.
The convenience of video streaming options like Netflix have made it easy to watch episode after episode until you’ve watched a show’s entire season over a single weekend. It’s like the Frito Lays of TV.
In the past, to binge-watch a television show, you had to wait for the season to be available on DVD so you could buy or rent it.
But in recent years, Netflix has cut out the middleman by producing original content themselves, starting with the critically acclaimed “House of Cards” starring Kevin Spacey in 2013. As of 2016, they had over 120 original series or films available.
Netflix must be keenly aware of the addictive attraction of binge-watching as they have, since their first original series, released all episodes of a show simultaneously.
Their latest offering is the 13 episode series, “13 Reasons Why,” based on a bestselling young adult novel by Jay Asher. The series has earned positive reviews from critics and been insanely popular on Netflix, especially with younger, teenage viewers.
It’s an interesting show that deals with some weighty subjects like rape and suicide. The young cast does a stellar job and the acting never feels artificial or contrived.
Perhaps the most contrived aspect of the production is the central plot device. We learn in the first episode that a young teenage girl has committed suicide. The girl’s best friend is delivered a box, which turns out to contain 13 cassette tapes dictated by her before her death — the eponymous 13 reasons why.
Each episode deals with a single cassette tape, which involves a revelation about how one of her fellow classmates has wronged her, leading to her ultimate decision to kill herself.
Much of the time is also spent on the various relationships between the characters and how they each handle their classmate’s death. (I give it a seven on the teen-angst meter.)
Netflix rates the series TV-MA (mature) for some heavy petting, a few shots of naked male derriere, and a fair amount of crude language. More concerning are the emotionally graphic scenes of two rapes (one explicit, one implied), and the depiction of the central suicide in the last episode of the show.
Everything portrayed in this series — bullying, underage drinking, fitting in, and yes even rape and suicide — are issues that a lot of teens encounter in real life or are exposed to on the web. Some reviewers have criticized the central plot device for sending the wrong message to teens — that is, a teenage girl who puts enormous effort into recording messages blaming her classmates for what was ultimately her decision: to end her own life.
While I agree with this sentiment, it’s not a central theme in the story and serves primarily as the literary structure from which the events unfold.
The series does bring up some interesting questions such as, what does it mean to give sexual consent? Are people responsible for their actions when they’re drunk? Is suicide ever the answer?
These are important questions and ones that teens are bound to ask. Parents should create a safe and fertile environment for such discussion.
“13 Reasons Why” is not a perfect TV show, but I enjoyed my time with it and appreciate the opportunity to understand a bit of the many social issues modern teens deal with.
The show has seen such success that Netflix has already announced it will return with season two next year.
Have a comment or an idea for a column? Visit townline.org or email me directly at ericwaustin@gmail.com!
GARDEN WORKSThank heaven for the rain! As I awoke this morning to the thunderous sound of raindrops pounding the ground, I thought what a relief it was to have a day where I would not feel so bad for staying inside. While the freshly-planted trees and shrubs from last week’s Fedco tree sale (also May 5 and 6) get a hearty dose of water from the sky, I sit here at my computer, typing, and listening to the downpour. Officially, the drought here in Central Maine has ended, though a conservative approach to using water is always the course of wisdom. In this article we will look at the pros and cons and a handful of ideas – some old, some new – on how to harvest the benefits of rainwater.
There are a myriad of benefits and a few risks to using rainwater in our area. Let’s start with the benefits: It’s free, simple, pre-“softened,” and (so far) legal. What more could a gardener want? With an inch of rain, you can capture .62 gallons per sq. ft. of each non-permeable surface area. When you apply this formula to the buildings on your property, the amount of potential harvestable water can be substantial. Consider this disquieting fact: according to the EPA’s website, the average American household uses more than 300 gallons of potable water each day, 70 percent of which is used indoors. What about the other 30 percent used outdoors, an average 90 gallons (Wow! Seriously?) a day? Depending on a few factors, such as time of year and amount of rainfall – rainwater collection, along with mindful usage – might be sensible drops in the bucket to help alleviate our thirst for water.
Unfortunately, there are risks to using rainwater: As much as we would wish otherwise, the upsetting fact is that rainwater is not always as pure as nature intended. You see, mankind has got into the habit of polluting the earth, and what goes up into the air comes down with the rain. Substances such as heavy metals, pesticides, industrial emissions, radioactive particles, and other harmful toxins are potentially lurking in rainwater. Also, in our neck of the woods we have acid rain as a result of being downwind of substantial fossil-fuel burning areas of the northeast. Do the benefits of using rainwater outweigh the risks? That’s a decision you’ll have to make. It can be filtered, but at what cost? “Well, it’s going to rain on the garden,” we could reason. “Why not use water that would just run off anyways?” Something else worth noting is that several states have laws that ban or restrict the collecting of rainwater. As ridiculous as it sounds, it’s true – but at least we do not, as far as I know, have such restrictions here in Maine. So why hold back? Nature sure doesn’t when it rains like it did last night. Let’s see if this is a project worth exploring.
The simplest, old-fashioned way to collect rainwater is by using a barrel. Divert the waters on your roof onto a downspout that flows into a rain barrel, and now you’re talking! Elevate this barrel to a level that is higher than your garden and you’ll have a gravity fed system of irrigation. Use drip irrigation tubing plugged into the barrel’s spout on one end, with the other ends strategically-placed in the garden and orchard, and the efficiency of this system will be greatly enhanced. Here’s a nifty link to an article on making a rain barrel out of a recycled food barrel.
Okay, okay, so putting a rain barrel in the middle of the garden could possibly present an aesthetic challenge. I’ll admit it. But your garden will thank you for it with lush growth. Also, never underestimate the power of making a statement with a rain barrel! Soon, hopefully, everyone will be in on the merits of them and they’ll be a mainstay in every garden. Now if Martha would do a show about that….. Hey wait, check this out, and this.
You can also divert water into a cistern, which is a below-ground collection reservoir. One drawback with cisterns is that a pump or similar system is probably needed to draw the water up. Other problems with cisterns are that they can be the cause of unwanted moisture if situated in a basement, can be a danger if improperly constructed where people or animals could fall in them, and the water has the potential to become stagnant. Be sure that the cistern is made from ingredients that do not leach harmful substances into the water. With these considerations in mind, a cistern could be another helpful tool in the water conservationist’s toolbox. Here’s a link for cisterns.
With these ideas in mind, the value of conserving water is priceless. In our area with China Lake, rivers, streams, ponds, waterfalls, and swamps within sight, we may tend to take water for granted. I recall growing up in a time when few of those around me gave much thought to the significance of having a dependable water supply; it was just assumed it had always been there and always would be. Thankfully, attitudes have changed since then and I see a much greater appreciation for this most precious resource. Water-saving appliances and devices are the norm, and it is not as much en vogue to have a lawn showered with sprinklers in the heat of summertime. Since there is no good reason to waste what we do not need to use, let’s always have a mindful approach to how we use water.
SCORES & OUTDOORSIt’s simply amazing what you come across in the woods of Maine. Last weekend, while preparing to open camp for the season, my wife and I were helping some friends next door do some raking and leaf pickup, when the wife showed me something that she had raked up. It looked kind of odd. OK, something else I had never seen in the 29 years my wife and I have been there.
It was round, like an orb, a little smaller than a tennis ball. Brown in color, with black bristles all over the exterior. At one end was a hole with what appeared to be dried mud inside.
That evening, I perused through the myriad of books I own and found nothing that really resembled it. The closest I came was that of a milkweed stock, but still didn’t look the same. So, I turned to my contact at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, in Augusta. His initial thought was a gall, but he would confer with his botanist colleagues.
Basically, a gall is a kind of swelling growth on the external tissues of plants or animals. They are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues, similar to benign tumors or warts on animals. They are caused by various parasites, from fungi and bacteria, to insects and mites. They are highly organized structures and because of this the cause of the gall can often be determined without the actual agent being identified. In human pathology, a gall is a raised sore on the skin, usually caused by chafing or rubbing.
In the end, what we had found was not a gall.
Several emails later, my contact replied following some consultations with the botanists, and were wondering if it might be a Chestnut gall. This would only be possible if we had a mature Chestnut tree on the premises. There are none that we are aware.
What we found, left, and what we think it is.
Then, another state botanist, Don Cameron, concluded that there are no trees in Maine with galls that have multiple spines from the same attachment point and therefore he speculated that it was most likely a cactus house plant that was thrown away in the yard some time ago.
He concluded the orb was possibly that of the Aylostera vulpina plant, a cactus that is native to Bolivia and Argentina, but very popular as house potted plants. In the wilds of South America, they grow at altitudes of 3,400 – 3,900 feet. I was not able to find a common name for them.
The plant is easy to grow and recommended for beginners. They prefer a gritty, porous soil mix with a pH slightly on the acidic side. Full sun to light shade. The root system is rot prone so watering should be monitored closely.
It’s recommended to let the pot dry out before adding water. It is winter hardy and will sustain temperatures below freezing. They require a winter rest period.
This species of cactus will occupy a small flower pot comfortably and remain a manageable sized house plant. The flower is bright red with scarlet petal tips and white stigma.
They are subject to mealy-bug attacks and to fungus and rot brought on by over-watering and high humidity.
It appears that in cultivation they grow larger and cluster more vigorously than in the wild.
The site where the pod was found has had a high turnover rate in the past 6 – 10 years so could very conceivably have been a potted house plant. The area had not been raked in quite some time.
I guess, for the time anyway, we have solved another “mystery” at camp.
A while back I added a book to my collection of odd books. This one is Manners and Morals of Victorian America. I love reading this stuff and I enjoy sharing them with you.
In 1868 it was said that Americans were too grave a people. We make business the “be-all and end-all” of life. We laugh too little. Work is better when there has been some level of recreation.
I always wondered why men are expected to remove their hats when they enter a building but a woman is not. It has to do with the difficulty of rearranging the hat of a woman (info from 1889).
A man when visiting should keep his hat in his hand. This will show your host that you’re not there for a meal (1875).
Chaperones: They come in one of three age brackets – marriage, parental or doting age (maybe the proverbial old maid) (1906)
Chaperones are the shepherds. She must lead her charges, properly and safely. She’s to keep her eagle eye on her charge to prevent her from committing indiscretions at a debutants ball (1910). (And our kids complain about their freedoms!)
Children: Some people prefer children to dogs because a license is not required for children (1910). Women used to (1910) like to grow the hair of their sons, much like a female child. The mother is encouraged to cut the hair when the son is 6-8 years old so they can grow manly.
Driving: Hold your emotions in check. It is wrong for the motor passenger to express emotion of any kind, either by facial contortion or bodily wriggling (1910). Guess they wouldn’t approve of road rage!
In 1906 when you got a car you wouldn’t be stingy. You were to allow the neighbors a smell of it!
Weapons—If you are going to drive alone on the highways and byways it might be advisable to carry a small revolver (1909).
Story telling (1883) never make yourself the hero of your own story.
Never punish your child for a fault to which you are addicted yourself.
A lady’s first marriage refusal: It is not always necessary to take a lady’s first refusal as absolute. She may reconsider.
The offer of a man’s heart and hand, is the greatest compliment he can pay her, however undesirable to her these gifts may be (1838).
A man should not court a girl, nor ask her to become his fiancée unless he can support a wife. To marry on nothing at all is very foolish, and seldom results happily (1910).
Refusing an offer of marriage: In refusing, the lady ought to convey her full sense of the high honor intended her by the gentleman, and to add, seriously but not offensively, that it is not her wish at this time.
Okay, I hope you enjoyed Victorian America!! There is a lot more of it, however, I will finish now. I’m just curious how you would handle these situations.
Thanks for reading! Contact me with questions or comments at dwdaffy@yahoo.com.